Dara looked at the unread messages on her phone. It was all from Jiyong. She sighed. He had been calling her all night, and she refused to answer, then he started bombarding her with messages. She did not turn it off, she simply put it on silent. 

    Yesterday, news of his enlistment were all over social media. She wanted to avoid it but she guess avoiding him was futile. They moved in the same circle. It wasn’t simple. 

    Let’s be real, she had been avoiding him since his dating scandal with some girl. She knew the deal and the truth, it still stung, though. She simply was tired, emotionally and physically. 

    Their relationship was too hard to put into words. They were on and off. He would go astray and then he would come back to her, and then there she was, forever waiting and understanding him. As years went by, she realized it wasn’t healthy for her anymore. Sure, he makes her happy, so amazingly happy but when it gets bad, it’s really bad. That she had to travel to avoid him and get her mind off him. 

    Dara, please, let’s talk.

    One of his messages said. 

    She sighed. What could they possibly talk about? Other than him saying goodbye. 

    Last month, during their friend’s wedding, she got really emotional she disgusted herself. Jiyong was close but not too close. She laughed bitterly. That’s how it had always been. 

    At the wedding venue, he would throw glances at her, as if making sure she wouldn’t faint or start wailing. 

    She stood up, put on her clothes and sighed for the nth time that day. She took her phone and tapped on it. When she was done, she noticed her breath was shaky. 

    She groaned, and had to mentally tell herself she got this. 

    It wasn’t long when she heard a soft knock on the front door. She opened it. And there he was…. Her pain, her sorrow, her ultimate and she’d like to believe…. Her soulmate. 

    “Jiyong,” she greeted, but it came as a whisper. 

    “Thank you, I thought you’re just going to ignore me.”

    She nodded. “Come in.” 

    He walked past her and her knees felt like turning into jelly upon smelling him. Jiyong’s scent, his natural body scent, is her favorite. It had always been her favorite that back then, sleeping with him brought so much comfort within her. 

    She closed the door and faced him. 

    “You sent so many messages, what was that about?” She asked. 

    He looked at her then sighed. “I don’t want to go while we’re not in good terms.”

    “Jiyong, we’re in good terms.”

    “No, Dara. If by good you mean avoiding me and refusing to look at me, then you have a different understanding of the word ‘good’.”

    Her head suddenly pounded. This is why she didn’t want to meet him. They would just surely end up arguing and telling each other who’s right and wrong. 

    “I’m not in the mood to argue,” she told him.

    “I’m not here to argue, Dara. I’m here to fix this.”

    She looked at him in the eyes…. They were tired and sad. His hair was unruly, he must have just combed it with his fingers. He had days old stubble. But he was still the most handsome guy she had ever met.

    Knock it off, Dara. She told herself.

    “It’s fixed Jiyong. Our friendship is fixed.”

    “I want you back.”

    She shook her head. “That can’t be. I already told you, this isn’t healthy for